New Delhi: Asserting start-ups are going to be the backbone of new India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said January 16 will be celebrated as ‘National Start-up Day’.
The Prime Minister said the start-ups will have an important role when India completes 100 years of independence.
Prime Minister Modi, who interacted with the start-ups through video conferencing, said the country’s innovators are making India proud globally.
“I congratulate all the start-ups of the country and all the innovative youth, who are raising the flag of India in the world of start-ups. For this culture of start-ups to reach far-flung parts of the country, it has been decided to celebrate January 16 as National Start-up Day,” he said.
Stating the role of start-up will be significant in the nation’s progress, he said that 2022 has brought several possibilities for the start-up ecosystem in the country.
Prime Minister Modi said India created 42 unicorns last year, adding he firmly believes that the golden period of start-ups is just beginning.
“Today India is rapidly moving towards hitting the century of the unicorn. And I agree, the golden era of India’s start-ups is starting now,” he said.
Prime Minister Modi said the government has been making efforts to institutionalize innovation in the country and to create an attraction for innovation among the students.
“With over 9,000 Atal Tinkering Labs and thousands of hackathons, we are encouraging our youth to solve today’s problems with innovation and technology,” Prime Minister Modi said.
“Don’t keep your dreams local, take them global. Don’t forget this mantra: ‘Let us innovate for India, let us innovate from India’,” he added.
Urging the start-ups to work towards building rural India, Prime Minister Modi said: “It will not only come with challenges but also huge potential.”
The Prime Minister said India is with the new Drone Policy now focusing on drone start-ups.
“You would be happy to know that orders of more than Rs. 500 crore have already been placed,” he added.